Welcome to Björke Väveri, weaving mill & shop in Söderköping!

Björke vävstuga was started in the early 1980s by Britta Eriksson and Ylwa Källgren on the farm Björke in Vånga, northern Östergötland. They initially produced by handweaving but eventually they bought some mechanical shuttle looms and began weaving on a larger scale. Still with the same quality, as close to handwoven as you can get.

The business developed with an exhibition and café. The range grew: tablecloths, runners, towels, curtains, upholstery fabrics were designed, woven, sewn and sold in the well-stocked store. Björke farm became a popular tourist destination and bus trips followed each other for decades. When thecovid -19 pandemic hit in 2020, the store was closed. Buses and visitors did not show up and it became time for the two owners to round off the business. But instead of just closing down the story took a new turn! In 2022 the shuttle was handed over to Maja Magnuson Wiklund and Helena Höglund in VÄVMAKERIET.

Maja and Helena are childhood friends with interest, education and knowledge of textiles. They had been weaving together for about ten years when they started the company Vävmakeriet in 2019. They focused on handwoven products. Since the supply of Swedish wool yarn for carpet weaving was limited, they began to work with a sheep owner and participated in the sheep shearing to take care of the wool and have it spun into their own yarn. The work led to in-depth reflections on wool's many fantastic properties and uses. This is how the idea of making cooler bags with Swedish wool as an insulating lining was born. Read more about our wool-lined cooler bags here: add link.

The business with hand-weaving and cooler bags had begun to really take off, when the newspaper headline came that Björke vävstuga was about to be closed down - and that no one would take over. It was the start of a new phase in life for the two friends who until now had run the business alongside other full-time jobs. After a year of work to get all the pieces of the puzzle in place, the weaving mill could be bought by Maja and Helena.

The takeover of Björke weaving workshop gave the opportunity to work full-time with textiles, and to combine weaving on a larger scale and the production of cooler bags. In February 2022, the whole mill with all the ten mechanichal looms were moved to Söderköping.

The takeover and the move meant a major restart. Staying on the farm had not been an alternative. Instead, the new location was on textile historical land in Söderköping. The premises in the FIX area have previously housed FIX trikåfabriker AB, and later Medisox, producer of compression socks. The weaving mill has landed in a textile context where several textile businesses are located in the area. The premises have been rebuilt to work for the new business. The looms and the shuttles are running again. The range includes many well-known patterns from the great textile treasure and just as before, new patterns and products will be added gradually. The cooler bags are also included in the range. It felt natural to make a small adjustment to the company name, Björke vävstuga is now called Björke väveri – wich means weaving mill. Though it is still a matter of handicraft.

When you visit us, you to visit both the shop and the weaving mill. Through a window into the weaving mill, you can experience the machines thumping and when they are not running, the door is open for a tour. The premises are open and cohesive and invite you to take part in the entire production process. The store shelves have started to fill up again and we now welcome old and new customers in our new destination, Söderköping has nice environments to discover for those who want to spend a whole day here. Visit Visit Söderköping - turism - Söderköpings kommun before a visit to Björke väveri. It is possible to book a tour of the weaving mill for groups.

Link to map!

The FIX area is named after FIX trikåfabriker AB, which made high-quality children's clothing from the mid-sixties in Söderköping until 1990. When the business ceased, several companies started that remain today, such as Medisox factory store, Jofotex Tyger a large and well-stocked fabric store. In the area there is also Sparven with a museum about FIX knitwear and in the same premises there is a shop for yarn, handicrafts, vintage fabrics, course activities, sewing workshop and more. Korps – Corps ravencraft, Korps – Tyg, läder och hantverk för moderna och historiska projekt is another textile company with a large range of fabrics and accessories with a special focus on medieval clothing. In the line of good neighbors, it is of course worth mentioning that there is a café with a home bakery just around the corner, FIX konditori.

Welcome to us!

Maja & Helena